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Friend, The Defense Department just handed xAI a $200 million contract to “address critical national security challenges.”(1) xAI is the brainchild of Google and Elon Musk. It’s the same AI that powers Grok, an AI bot that went on a racist, antisemitic tirade, at one point referring to itself as “MechaHitler.”(2) And now that tool will have access to our government to integrate with our military and defense systems.
Authoritarianism requires rigid control to thrive. What better way to enact control than by removing humans from the equation and unleashing AI in essential fields, such as immigration, militarization, and financial regulation? Pair this authoritarian love of control with Trump’s pay-to-play approach to government contracts, and you have the perfect setup of takeover of sensitive government functions by tech giants like Google and X. We are at the very beginning of understanding the full implications of AI technology. Researchers and developers are working to push the envelope of what’s possible. At the same time, many people are raising concerns about the environmental impact, as well as safety and regulatory concerns. Researchers have highlighted the high power drain and water usage necessitated by AI tools.(3) Others have highlighted the snowball effect of bias in AI frameworks, and the massive impact it can have on system decision-making and privacy concerns. (4) Finally, governments have failed to create scalable regulatory frameworks that meet the unique needs posed by the speed of AI development.(5) But here's the good news: When Trump tried to get Congress to ban state laws governing AI for 10 years, the Senate rejected it 99-1.(6) And regulating AI is something voters want, across political parties.(7) That’s why we’ve joined with a coalition of technology advocates to demand that Congress put up guardrails on AI before it’s too late. Congress must oppose this dangerous giveaway to Big Tech and support a People’s AI platform. We’re gathering as many signatures as possible right now before Trump and his allies force their plan on us. Will you join us in speaking out against Trump’s corporate giveaway of AI contracts? Thank you for being in the fight! –Irene, along with Annie, Angela, Isidra, Cecilia, Jen, and Lindsay (the Courage team)
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